12 key events Flashcards
The Rebellion
Macbeth killed the rebel Scottish leader Macdonald
“Which ne’er shook hands no bade farewell to him, till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chops”
Killed him personally with a dagger, shook his hand after. Shows him as fierce and a reveller in killing. Shows us his hamartia is that he loves to kill.
2 meeting with witches
Witches are in play to flatter king james’s and his obsession with witchcraft.
Witches don’t actually tell him what to do.
3 Macbeth’s reaction to witches
Macbeths mind goes immediately to murder- even though witches don’t suggest it and show its not necessary.
“Why do I yield to that suggestion. Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair.”
Shakespeare tells us whats wrong with macbeth.
“If chance may have me king, chance my crown me without my stir”
4 Letter to Lady Macbeth
He writes the letter (which tells the wife abt the prophecies) and he calls his wife “my dearest partner of greatness”
Macbeth suggests the main thing is that she becomes Queen.
Manipulates lady macbeth because her ambition is greater
Macbeth sent the letter in advance to give her time to scheme- how her ambition to be queen is going to be realised.
Because he knows doesnt have enough drive to kill duncan
“Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from crown to toe of the top-full of direst cruelty” she thinks macbeth is “too full of the milk of human kindness”
shows she doesn’t really understand Macbeth, because he actually revels in killing.
she pulls out because Duncan looks like her dad
5) the plan to kill duncan
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which overleaps itself and falls on the other”
He intends to kill duncan- Macbeth is saying his ambition is going to make him kill duncan but he will overleap and fall.
He says his ambition is not enough
The ride who is wearing his spurs in lady macbeth. She is the one who will help him over the hurdle so they dont fail. Lady macbeth is manoeuvred into giving him the plan he wants, thats why he calls her here partner in greatness. Unusual for a patriarchal society of the time.
Shakespeare gives macbeth a soliloquy before he kills duncan. “is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle towards my hand”. Never ever says im kill macbeth for me wife ( soliloquy shows true emotions) first thing he mentions is dagger shows hes inlove with killing.
6) reaction to the murder
“to know my deed, twere best not know myself- wake duncan with they knocking! would thou couldst”
the murder has confirmed to macbeth the things about himself he would rather not admit. Macbeth has given in to his desires to kill- he is attracted to spilling blood. He regrets what he has done, now has to admit what he is like.
In a tragedy, heros are noble but haveba fatal flaw “harmatia”- they attempt to avoid it at all costs. Macbeth is the opposite, tries to reach his fate…he cannot wait, cant allow fate to fullfil itself. Shakespeare is writing at a time where people stopped believing their lives are mapped out. Shakespeare is born to a glover maker and woolfamer and does not follow the paths of his parents- hes in a new era of theatre
“here lay duncan with his silver skin laced with his golden blood”
symbolises his royalty and how important duncan is. Shows that taking duncan blood is whats important to macbeth
7) macbeths plan to kill bandquo
Lady macbeth loves the idea of killing banquo. Macbeth does not allow her to plan the killing. “be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck” shows he wants to protect her, doesnt want her to feel guilty. Wants to kill banquo and fleance for jealous. “upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and a barren sceptre”. His children has died.
“i have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me” Jealous his children will not be king but banquos. “twenty trenched gashed on his head” murderes emphasise blood.
8) Banquos ghost
“Never shake thy gory locks at me” “thou canst not say i did it”
focuses on the blood running from banquos hair- because blood fascinates him, just a figment of his imagination- blood draws him to the ghost.
None of the nobles know that macbeth has had banquo killed, think that hes confessed to killing duncan. TP in play- everyone is suspecting macbeth. Greek tragedy- macbeth has engineered his own destruction, he would still be king if not for his harmatia of killing.
9) decides to kill macduffs family
“the castle of macduff i will surprise”
“his wife his babes and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line”
“i am in blood stepped in so far that i should wade no more, returning were as tedious as go over”
shakespeare points us to macbeths harmatia/ his motive
10) lady Macbeth sleepwalks
“glamis hath murderd sleep and therefore cawdor shall sleep no more, macbeth shall sleep no more”
shows his psychological insight into his wife as he knows shes feeling upset. Lady macbeth recognises she created a monster who wont stop killing. “here the smell of blood still. all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” All the blood macbeth keeps spilling, realises macbeth isnt killing for ambition- hes doing because he loves it. starts sleeping apart because metaphorically divorced…not the man she thinks she marries- knows hes no longer full of the milk of kindness- cant cope about what hes really like. Macbeth still loves his wife, tries to cure his wife. even though he knows hes about to die and the witches has lied to him. “infected be the air whereon they ride, damed all who trusts them” he knows the prophecies as a lie before the audience sees it play out.
11) reaction to the death of lady macbeth
“out out brief candle” “she shouldve died hereafter” (why did she have to die now couldve done it later)
candle is a religious symbol- suggests gods light. he worships his wife thats why he takes care of her as hes going into battle. when she dies he loses interest in life and God. “life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing” “a poor player that struts his life upon a stage” when we are alive we are playing actors on a stage. Macbeth is saying that god had created the flaws in him and is responsible of his fate. he says everything hes done is for nothing. nihilism- life is meaningless. “tomorrow and tommorrow and tommorow brings on its petty pace” all his days are pointless and pety. “why should i play the roman fool and fall upon my swords” rejects roman hero traditional death to remain a hero despite being flawed. “thou looset labor” macbeth says to macduff. macbeth is winning atp. “lay on macdyff snd dammed be him who first cries hold enough” knows macduff will kill him, anxious to get there quickley.
“this dead butcher and his fiend like queen”
shows shakespeare he loves killing
shows through malcoms pov macbeth hamartia was his wife and his bloodlust. whole play is in support of king james prevents nobles from rebellion.
three key things
king james descended from banquo
witches had a lack of influence
lady macbeth was ambitious and fuel macbeths bloodlust, sexist/patriachal view that shakespeare is brought into?
